A small slice of New England

The Best Beer Bread Gift Package

For Christmas my Brother and Sister-in-law gave Mom and I a gift package. It was a loaf pan filled with two beer bread mixes, two bottles of beer, a spice packet, jam and directions. It was all labeled, seasonally wrapped and such a great idea I had to give it a try.

The directions promised a warm crusty loaf in under an hour… and it was right.

Basic Beer Bread Mix:

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder (make sure it is fresh!)

1 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

Wheat Beer Bread Mix:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup un-bleached all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder (again, make sure it is fresh!)

1 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

Heat oven to 375 degrees and grease one loaf pan. Empty mix into mixing bowl. Slowly stir in one 12 oz bottle or can of beer into bowl while mixing until just combined. (Use a lighter beer for basic mix and an ale for wheat mix). Batter will be thick. Mix it until all the flour is just moistened. Do NOT over mix or “knead” the bread as you normally would to make yeast bread. Shape dough into a thick oblong loaf and place in the pre-greased loaf pan.

Brush top with optional egg glaze (one egg, 2 tsp water whisked). Place loaf pan in oven and bake about 45 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and remove from pan for additional cooling on rack of about another 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Try adding dried or fresh herbs, 1/2 cup of frshly grated asiago (or other hard cheese), 1/2 cup finely chopped onion or scallions or other variations… use your imagination! This was the perfect bread to serve with a crock pot meal of Italian Herbed Chicken. Enjoy!!